Architects settle in Stamford

Amenta/Emma Architects: Plan to celebrate opening of its new branch

Published 9:45 pm, Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Amenta/Emma Architects, a Hartford-based firm, has recently opened a new office on Main Street in Stamford.

Amenta/Emma Architects, a Hartford-based firm, has recently opened a new office on Main Street in Stamford.

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Architects settle in Stamford

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One of the benefits of Amenta/Emma Architects' new Stamford office is its Main Street location, overlooking Columbus Park, in the heart of the restaurant-packed downtown area.

The firm will take advantage of its prime spot by coinciding the celebration of their open house tonight with the first evening of the Alive@Five concert series, for which the clients, vendors and contractors invited to the open house will have a front row seat.

Amenta/Emma Architects, primarily based in Hartford, moved a staff of five into its Stamford location in February and has already attracted new clients from the area.

"It's really to better serve our clients in this part of the state," Charles Cannizzaro, principal, said of the new branch. "Stamford is a great place for what we do, which is corporate interiors."

Amenta/Emma, which also has a satellite office in Cambridge, Mass., covers all of New England, with a primary focus on Fairfield County. During their months in Stamford, the firm has added clients to its roster, including Reckson Associates, a division of SL Green Realty Corp., Media Space Solutions in Wilton and Family Children's Agency in Norwalk.

"Tony Amenta talked a couple of years ago about doing this, but the economy wasn't quite right. Now, things are starting to turn around and we made the leap," Cannizzaro said. "It's really picked up. And we're hiring as a result of that."

Tim Donohue from CB Richard Ellis Global Brokerage, which has an office in Stamford, has engaged Amenta/Emma to work on assets that Donohue is serving as the leasing agent for. Donohue and Cannizzaro are currently working on plans for 1 North Lexington in White Plains, N.Y.

"I think Amenta has recognized Stamford to be a viable market for Fortune 500 companies seeking office space," Donohue said. "Specifically, they engaged Charles to head up the Stamford office because of his deeply rooted relationships in Fairfield County."

Cannizzaro's area of expertise and the Stamford office's main focus is corporate interiors, designing inside spaces for hedge funds, trading companies and law firms.

"We design it based on their brand and their needs and what kind of image they're trying to convey. It's very client-oriented," Cannizzaro said. "It's not just interiors like interior decorating, it's working with a client on their business goals."

Amenta/Emma Architects will hold their open house from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight at the new office, 247 Main Street.